Industryweek 11624 Moon Express 1

US Company Gets Historic Nod to Send Lander to Moon

Aug. 4, 2016
Until now, only the governments of the United States, the Soviet Union and China have sent spacecraft to the moon.

Startup company Moon Express said on August 3 that it had received approval from the government to send an unmanned lander to the moon next year, in a first for private industry.

Until now, only the governments of the United States, the Soviet Union and China have sent spacecraft to the moon.

Commercial spacecraft have flown within the bounds of Earth's orbit.

"We are now free to set sail as explorers to Earth's eighth continent, the moon, seeking new knowledge and resources to expand Earth's economic sphere for the benefit of all humanity," said Bob Richards, co-founder and chief executive of Moon Express.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced its approval Wednesday, following consultations with the White House, State Department and the NASA.

Moon Express, based in Cape Canaveral, Fla., was founded in 2010.

It has yet to finish its moon lander, which will be carried in late 2017 by a rocket made by Rocket Lab, another startup, which has not yet launched any commercial missions.

"The sky is not the limit for Moon Express -- it is the launchpad," said Moon Express co-founder Naveen Jain, describing the government approval as "another giant leap for humanity."

The company's goal is to develop low-cost spacecraft and to explore the resources on the moon, he said.

"In the immediate future we envision bringing precious resources, metals and moon rocks back to Earth," said Jain.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2016

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Navigate Complex Cybersecurity Requirements With Purpose-Built Technology Solutions

Dec. 6, 2023
The CMMC represents a critical mandate from the U.S. DOD. Aerospace & Defense manufacturers that handle controlled unclassified information (CUI) must comply with CMMC requirements...

Goodridge Boosts Productivity & Saves Costs by Moving to the Cloud!

Dec. 4, 2023
With Infor's cloud solutions, Goodridge has been able to greatly increase overall productivity, cost savings, data visibility, and automation. This case study discusses the many...

Electric Vehicles Spark New Opportunities in the Automotive Industry

Dec. 4, 2023
Automakers have increased plans to produce Electric Vehicles to meet customer demand for low emissions. With this radical shift, new opportunities and challenges for the auto ...

Discover How an Eye Tracking Study Improves Training Procedures

Oct. 29, 2023
Did you know that your training processes can be streamlined by visualizing and analyzing key skills within your employee base? Find out how we use eye tracking to capture advanced...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!